I woke up as the Villainous Empress

Yang Ning was unfazed by Yang Luoyang's gloomy gaze and gesture to Xiaowei, her maidservant who was standing behind her. Xiaowei handed over the scrolls to His Majesty's servant, who then passed them to Emperor Zheng Huang.

As Zheng Huang examined the documents, he frowned and looked at Yang Ning quizzically. "What are these documents, Yang Ning?"

Yang Ning glanced at the confused ministers before addressing Zheng Huang. "Your Majesty, these are proof of the crimes committed by Minister Yang. These documents record all the illegal properties and wealth gathered by Minister Yang through corruption over the years. It's not just the villa in the south of the empire, but many more properties with an abundance of wealth."

She continued, her voice steady, "Furthermore, these documents provide evidence of Minister Yang's association with the previous Empress. He was one of the leading figures in the corruption and crimes committed by Yang Lingxin.

He has been abusing his position as the Head of the Minister of Finance for years, tampering with official financial records and harming many people in his pursuit of greed, wealth, and power."

The ministers who had earlier defended Yang Luoyang fell silent. An uncomfortable hush descended upon the court as all eyes focused on Yang Luoyang. The gravity of the situation was clear – these accusations came from the Crown Princess herself, Yang Luoyang's own daughter.

Yang Luoyang's face darkened as he saw the documents in His Majesty's hands. His eyes flashed with anger when he heard Yang Ning's words. "YANG NING! What nonsense are you spouting? How dare you accuse me of something illegal?"n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

He continued, his voice rising, "What evidence do you have? Huh? Do you think bringing a few forged documents can be claimed as evidence to falsely accuse your father? I never thought you could be like this! You're my daughter, but you're no less than a monster who could backstab her father who raised you for years!"

His hatred was clear in his eyes and words. Internally, he seethed with regret. She was just like her mother – unnecessarily righteous, honest, and nosy! He should have killed her, just like her mother. He had thought he had raised her to be his path to power, but in the end, she had betrayed him, biting the hand that fed her all these years.

Shameless bastard! Read exclusive content at empire

Seeing Yang Luoyang seething with anger and forgetting his facade of a gracious, good father, Yang Ning smirked provocatively. "Oh! After accusing Prince Zheng Xiang of forging documents, now you're accusing me of submitting fake evidence against you? Well, what can one do?"

She continued, her voice laced with confidence, "You managed to discredit Prince Zheng Xiang's documents, but you won't be able to do the same with mine. Would you like to know where I found these documents?" Yang Ning smiled beautifully, glancing at the curious ministers.

Instead of answering, she whispered something to Xiaowei, who nodded politely and left the royal court, leaving everyone bewildered. Moments later, Xiaowei returned with the commander of royal troops following behind.

The man, Wei Guang, was middle-aged with a cold, stern face and a long scar—a testament to his loyalty to the Empire. Known for his decade of service as commander and unwavering dedication, his presence surprised everyone.

Wei Guang greeted the Emperor politely, his expression remaining stern and cold.

Zheng Huang nodded in response and turned to Yang Ning. "Yang Ning, what does Commander Wei have to do with this case? Why have you called him?"

Yang Ning smiled, glancing at the puzzled Yang Luoyang. "Your Majesty, I knew that no one here would believe my words alone. That's why I called Commander Wei to verify the source of these documents. I'm sure they will trust his words more than mine, given his lifelong service to our country's safety."

Turning to Wei Guang, she requested, "Commander Wei, please tell everyone where you obtained these documents."

The commander nodded and spoke firmly, "Your Majesty, we found these documents at the residence of Wang Rong, Head Officer of the Royal Bureau of Investigation. They were hidden in a secret compartment in his study."

A collective frown spread across the court at the mention of the Head of the Royal Bureau. While the ministers were confused by this revelation, Yang Luoyang's face paled significantly. His mind raced: How did Wang Rong have all these documents? Hadn't he destroyed them? Was... was Wang Rong keeping them to blackmail him?

'That snake!' Yang Luoyang thought, his composure crumbling as the weight of his predicament became clear.

…..

Emperor Zheng Huang stared at Commander Wei, his brow furrowed. "Officer Wang? How is he connected to this case? And how are you involved, Commander Wei? As far as I'm aware, this doesn't fall under your jurisdiction." His words echoed the doubts in the hearts of all the ministers present.

Commander Wei straightened, his voice clear and unwavering. "A few days ago, I received a letter from Her Highness requesting assistance in investigating a case of corruption involving high-profile ministers, which also affects the Empire's safety. Since the Head Officer of the Royal Bureau was implicated, she sought my help.

Thus, along with Her Highness, my team of trusted officers have been raiding Minister Yang's properties, securing them as evidence."

He continued, "My soldiers have personally verified these properties. Not only that, they've raided Officer Wang's residence, who is not only involved in corruption himself but was responsible for handling Minister Yang's affairs and covering his tracks. This explains why Minister Yang Luoyang has maintained a clean record all these years – Officer Wang was clearing up behind him."

The commander's next words sent a chill through the court. "It appears Wang Rong kept these documents as leverage to blackmail Minister Yang in the future. Thanks to the Princess's tip, we not only recovered these documents but also caught Wang red-handed as he attempted to frame Minister Zen's death as a suicide rather than a planned murder in prison."

As these revelations unfolded, a profound silence fell over the royal court. The silence was so deep that the thumping of hearts and the sound of breathing seemed deafening. The drama unfolding before them was far greater than anyone had imagined.

What had begun as Prince Zheng Xiang accusing Yang Luoyang of corruption had now expanded to implicate the Head Officer of the Royal Investigation Bureau and revealed Minister Zen's supposed suicide as a planned murder to conceal the truth?

The scope of these revelations left everyone stunned. The once simple case of corruption had transformed into a complex web of deceit, murder, and high-level conspiracy that reached the highest echelons of the empire's government.